For a long time in the Anthropogen, biological factors and patterns were gradually replaced by social ones, which finally ensured the appearance in the Upper Paleolithic of a modern type of man - Homo sapiens, or Homo sapiens. In 1868, five human skeletons were discovered in a Cro-Magnon cave in France, along with stone tools and drilled shells, which is why Homo sapiens are often called Cro-Magnons. Before Homo sapiens appeared on the planet, there was another humanoid species called Neanderthals. They inhabited almost the entire Earth and were distinguished by their large size and serious physical strength. The volume of their brain was almost the same as that of a modern earthling - 1330 cm3.
Neanderthals lived in the era of the great glaciation, so they had to wear clothes made from animal skins and hide from the cold in the depths of the caves. Their only rival in natural conditions could only be a saber-toothed tiger. Our ancestors had highly developed brow ridges, they had a powerful protruding jaw with large teeth. The remains found in the Palestinian cave of Es-Skhul, on Mount Carmel, clearly indicate that Neanderthals are the ancestors of modern humans. These remains combine both ancient Neanderthal features and features that are already characteristic of modern man.
It is assumed that the transition from the Neanderthal to the current type of man took place in the most climatically favorable regions of the globe, in particular, in the Mediterranean, Western and Central Asia, the Crimea and the Caucasus. Recent studies show that the Neanderthal lived for some time even at the same time as the Cro-Magnon man, the direct predecessor of modern man. Today, Neanderthals are considered to be a kind of side branch of the evolution of Homo sapiens.
Cro-Magnons appeared about 40 thousand years ago in East Africa. They populated Europe and within a very short period completely replaced the Neanderthals. Unlike their ancestors, the Cro-Magnons were distinguished by a large active brain, thanks to which they made an unprecedented step forward in a short period of time.
Since Homo sapiens lived in many regions of the planet with different natural and climatic conditions, this left a certain imprint on his appearance. Already in the era of the Upper Paleolithic, racial types of modern man began to develop: Negroid-Australoid, European-Asian and Asian-American, or Mongoloid. Representatives of different races differ in skin color, eye shape, hair color and type, skull length and shape, as well as body proportions.
The most important occupation for the Cro-Magnons was hunting. They learned how to make darts, arrowheads and spears, invented bone needles, with their help they sewed the skins of foxes, arctic foxes and wolves, and also began to build dwellings from mammoth bones and other improvised materials.
For collective hunting, housing construction and the manufacture of tools, people began to live in tribal communities, consisting of several large families. Women were considered the core of the clan and were mistresses in common dwellings. The growth of the frontal lobes of a person contributed to the complication of his social life and the diversity of labor activity, ensured the further evolution of physiological functions, motor skills and associative thinking.
Gradually, the technique of production of tools was improved, their assortment increased. Having learned to use the advantages of his developed intellect, a reasonable person became the sovereign master of all life on Earth. In addition to hunting mammoths, woolly rhinos, wild horses and bison, as well as gathering, Homo sapiens also mastered fishing. The way of life of people also changed - a gradual settling of individual groups of hunters and gatherers began in the forest-steppe regions abundant in vegetation and game. 
Man has learned to tame animals and domesticate some plants. This is how cattle breeding and agriculture appeared.
The sedentary lifestyle ensured the rapid development of production and culture, which led to the flourishing of housing and economic construction, the manufacture of various tools, the invention of spinning and weaving. A completely new type of management began to take shape, and people began to depend less on the vagaries of nature. This led to an increase in the birth rate and the spread of human civilization in new territories. The manufacture of more advanced tools became possible due to the development of gold, copper, silver, tin and lead around the 4th millennium BC. There was a social division of labor and specialization of individual tribes in production activities depending on certain natural and climatic conditions.
We draw conclusions: at the very beginning, human evolution took place at a very slow pace. It took several million years that have passed since the emergence of the most ancient ancestors for a person to reach the stage of his development, at which he learned to create the first rock paintings.
But with the advent of Homo sapiens on the planet, all his abilities began to develop rapidly, and in a relatively short period of time, man turned into the dominant form of life on Earth. Today, our civilization has already reached the mark of 7 billion people and continues to grow. At the same time, the mechanisms of natural selection and evolution still work, but these processes are slow and rarely amenable to direct observation. The emergence of Homo sapiens and the subsequent rapid development of human civilization led to the fact that nature gradually began to be used by people to satisfy their own needs. The impact of people on the biosphere of the planet has made significant changes in it - the species composition of the organic world in the environment and the nature of the Earth as a whole has changed.
Human evolution is a theory of the origin of humans created by the English naturalist and traveler Charles Darwin. He claimed that the ancient came from. To confirm his theory, Darwin traveled a lot and tried to collect different ones.
It is important to emphasize here that evolution (from Latin evolutio - “deployment”), as a natural process of the development of wildlife, accompanied by a change in the genetic composition of populations, really takes place.
But regarding the emergence of life in general and the emergence of man in particular, evolution is rather scarce in scientific evidence. It is no coincidence that it is still considered just a hypothetical theory.
Some tend to believe in evolution, considering it the only reasonable explanation for the origin of modern people. Others completely reject evolution as an anti-scientific thing, and prefer to believe that man was created by the Creator without any intermediate options.
So far, neither side has been able to scientifically convince opponents that they are right, so we can confidently assume that both positions are based purely on faith. What do you think? Write about it in the comments.
But let's deal with the most common terms associated with the Darwinian idea.
australopithecines
Who are Australopithecus? This word can often be heard in pseudo-scientific conversations about human evolution.
Australopithecus (southern monkeys) are upright descendants of driopithecus that lived in the steppes about 4 million years ago. These were quite highly developed primates.
skillful man
It was from them that the most ancient species of people originated, whom scientists call Homo habilis - "handy man."
The authors of the theory of evolution believe that in appearance and structure a skilled man did not differ from anthropoid apes, but at the same time he already knew how to make primitive cutting and chopping tools from roughly processed pebbles.
Homo erectus
The fossil species of people Homo erectus (“upright man”), according to the theory of evolution, appeared in the East and already 1.6 million years ago spread widely across Europe and Asia.
Homo erectus was of medium height (up to 180 cm) and was distinguished by a straight gait.
Representatives of this species learned to make stone tools for labor and hunting, used animal skins as clothing, lived in caves, used fire and cooked food on it.
Neanderthals
Once upon a time, the Neanderthal man (Homo neanderthalensis) was considered the ancestor of modern man. This species, according to the theory of evolution, appeared about 200 thousand years ago, and ceased to exist 30 thousand years ago.
Neanderthals were hunters and had a powerful physique. However, their height did not exceed 170 centimeters. Scientists now believe that Neanderthals were most likely just a side branch of the evolutionary tree from which man originated.
Homo sapiens
Homo sapiens (in Latin - Homo sapiens) appeared, according to Darwin's theory of evolution, 100-160 thousand years ago. Homo sapiens built huts and huts, sometimes even living pits, the walls of which were sheathed with wood.
They skillfully used bows and arrows, spears and bone hooks for catching fish, and also built boats.
Homo sapiens was very fond of painting the body, decorating clothes and household items with drawings. It was Homo sapiens who created the human civilization that exists and develops to this day.
Stages of development of ancient man according to the theory of evolution It should be said that this entire evolutionary chain of human origin is exclusively Darwin's theory, which still has no scientific evidence.
The origin and formation of culture are connected with the origin and formation of man - anthropogenesis. Anthropogenesis is an integral part biogenesis- the origin of life on Earth. There are two main points of view on the problem of the origin of nature and man.
creationism
The first is reflected in the concept creationism or " creations”, according to which man and all life on earth were created by some supreme power, God or gods. The concept of "creation" can be traced already in the most ancient myths created in Mesopotamia and Egypt in the 3rd millennium BC. e. It is reflected in the book "Genesis" ("Genesis"), created by the ancient Jews in the 1st millennium BC. e. and accepted by Christians as an integral part of the Bible. The book says that God created the whole world and man in 6 days. The transience of creation reveals the omnipotence of God. This concept was also adopted by Islam, which was created in Arabia in the 7th century BC. n. e.
Supported by the authority of the world's leading religions, the concept of "creation" reigned supreme in the world for a long time, but in the XIX-XX centuries. its positions were pushed back in Europe, North America and a number of other countries. However, many people in these countries today are committed to the concept of "creation", accepting its more modern versions. So, for example, the biblical version of the creation of the world within six days receives a new interpretation, according to which the biblical “days” should be understood as whole epochs, etc. Proponents of traditional views reject such modifications, believing that they undermine the version of the omnipotence of God . Traditionalists reject the very need to argue the concept of creation, stating that it is given to man by divine revelation.
Nevertheless, scientists already in the ancient world and in the Middle Ages were looking for rational arguments in favor of the concept of "creation". And the main argument was seen in the fact that without recognizing the existence of a higher being, God the Creator, it is difficult to explain the complexity of the universe and the world order. To the question of who created such a complex and rationally arranged world of nature, it is easiest to give the following answer: all this was created by a higher powerful force, which is the beginning of all beginnings, the root cause of everything. However, on closer examination, this explanation raises questions that remain unanswered. For example: if God created the world, then who created God? Where does God dwell? And so on. And a person has a choice: either simply believe that God created the world, or look for some other explanation.
evolutionary theory
Along with the concept of "creation", there has long been the idea of the formation of man as a result of a gradual and long evolution nature. Philosophers of the ancient world drew attention to the fact that various forms of life on earth go through constantly repeating cycles: they are born, develop and die. This gave rise to the idea that nature is infinite and its development proceeds according to uniform universal laws. In addition, it was clear that nature is constantly creating some new forms of life, and development goes from simple to complex. These observations led to the emergence of the point of view according to which man is the result of a long evolution of nature, during which at first simple forms of living organisms arose, and then they became more and more complex.
Some scientists of antiquity surprisingly presciently outlined the main stages and sequence of evolution. Thus, the ancient Greek philosopher Anaximander (VI century BC) believed that plants, and then animals, and, finally, man arose from mud on the emerging Earth. The Chinese sage Confucius (VI-V centuries BC) believed that life arose from a single source through gradual expansion and branching.
In modern times, these brilliant guesses of ancient scientists were developed and substantiated within the framework of evolutionary theory, which acts as an alternative to the concept of "creation". At first, scientists did not seek to completely break with the concept of God the creator and were looking for compromise options. So, in the XVII century. French scientist Descartes recognized the role of God as the creator of matter and the root cause of its development, but further substantiated the thesis about the natural origin of the Universe and its development according to the laws inherent in matter itself. The Dutch philosopher B. Spinoza identified God with nature, which he considered as an eternal system that develops according to its own laws ( pantheism). In the XVIII century. Erasmus Darwin (1731–1802) proposed the idea that life originated from a single filament, created by God, and then this thread gradually developed up to the emergence of a person under the influence of a changing environment as a result of the inheritance of acquired traits.
At the beginning of the 19th century, the leading exponent of evolutionism was the French zoologist J. B. Lamarck, who explained the similarities inherent in a certain group of animals (for example, lions, tigers, and other representatives of the cat breed) by the fact that they have a common ancestor. Lamarck explained the resulting differences between them by different conditions of life. A special role in the creation of evolutionary theory belongs to Charles Darwin (1809–1882), the author of the doctrine of the origin of various types of living beings as a result of natural selection in the course of the struggle for survival: those organisms that have managed to better adapt to a changing natural environment are more likely to survive and reproduction. The less fit are dying out. Thus, Darwin more clearly than his predecessors showed the general mechanism of biological evolution. At first, Charles Darwin also did not dare to completely break with the concept of God the creator, but then he did it.
The American scientist L. G. Morgan was the first to apply the theory of evolution to the problem of the origin of man, who, in the course of studying the life of the American Indians, created the concept according to which man went through three stages of development: “savagery”, “barbarism” and “civilization”. Morgan is considered the founder of anthropology as a modern science.
In the twentieth century scientists have done a great job of discovering and studying the ancient remains of plants, animals and humans. In the course of the study, a regularity was clearly traced: the most primitive organisms are found in the lower, most ancient layers of the earth's crust, and more and more complex ones appear in the upper layers. This evidence of a very long ascent from simple to complex forms of life is the main argument in favor of the theory of evolution. As a result, a rather harmonious picture of evolutionary biogenesis and anthropogenesis has been created, which looks like this.
The age of the Earth is determined by scientists at about 5 billion years. The first living organisms (single-celled) appeared about 3 billion years ago. The development of primitive organisms led to the appearance of the plant and then the animal world (700 million years ago). Approximately 200 million years ago, mammals appeared - a class of vertebrates that fed their young with milk. Approximately 60 million years ago, a detachment of primates formed in this class - five-fingered, with a thumb strongly opposed to the rest (the result of life on trees). Approximately 8 million years ago, the higher primates (driopithecus) living in the forests of East Africa gave rise to three branches, which led to the appearance of chimpanzees, gorillas and humans (Homo).
In the process of becoming a person, there are three main links that form the so-called hominid triad. The first link in the formation of man was upright posture. Climate change has led to the displacement of forests by savannahs in a number of areas, and therefore some of the higher primates have stood on their hind limbs. Bipedalism freed the forelimbs for versatile activities and led to the formation of the second link of the triad - hand capable of fine manipulation. This made it possible to do more complex work and, in turn, led to the development of the third link - brain - the central part of the nervous system animal, which in particular manifested itself in an increase in the volume of the skull. The development of the brain gave rise to the ability to purposeful pre-planned, i.e. conscious, activities. This ability found its expression in the manufacture of tools - gun activity. Tool activity distinguishes man from other animals. The monkey can use sticks and stones, but does not make them more convenient tools for everyday use, does not constantly improve them.
The development of consciousness has made man capable of abstract thinking: thinking with the help of images enshrined in language. A person operates with abstract concepts (symbols), with which he designates various objects and phenomena. Human language is different from animal language. The latter is a system of signals transmitting a sound reaction to some direct external stimulus. For example, catching the smell of an enemy, animals give an alarm. Human speech is a tool for transmitting very complex information, which may not be due to direct external stimuli. Language and thought are inextricably linked. Along with tool activity, they separate man from animals. Thus, a successful combination of a number of factors allowed man to rise to the highest step of evolution in the process of the struggle for survival.
Stages of human development (genus Homo)
Within the most common classification, the immediate predecessor of the genus Homo is considered australopithecine("southern monkey"), who lived in southern and eastern Africa IV-V million years ago. The structure of the hip bones and foot of Australopithecus, the nature of the articulation of the spine and head show that they were upright. Australopithecus' brain volume reached 500 cubic meters. cm.
The first representatives of the genus Homo are the so-called archanthropes – « ancient people." Some scientists believe that they appeared already 4 million years ago, but a period of 2 million years is considered reliable. In addition to walking upright, the main distinguishing feature of the archanthropes is tool activity. Archanthropes include:
1) Homo habilis - "handy man." He lived 2 million years ago in Africa in the area of Lake Tanganyika (Tanzania), where artificially processed pebbles were found. The volume of the brain is 500–700 cubic meters. cm.
2) Homo erectus - "straightened man." It appeared in the tropical zone of Africa 1.5-2 million years ago. Brain volume - 800 - 1000 cubic meters. see He owns more advanced tools - axes, almond-shaped stones turned on both sides. Homo erectus moved from Africa to Asia and Europe. The most famous representatives:
- Pithecanthropus - ape-man found on the island of Java in Indonesia;
- Sinanthropus - Chinese man, found near Beijing;
- Heidelberg man, found in Germany.
3) Homo ergaster - "handicraft man", which appeared 1.5 million years ago and was morphologically closer to modern man.
A new stage of human development - paleoanthropes(ancient people). The heyday is 200-40 thousand years BC. The most famous representatives are named Neanderthals after the first find in the Neandertal valley in Germany. Brain - up to 1500 cubic meters. see Neanderthals are considered the first representatives of "homo sapiens" - a reasonable person, but, most likely, the Neanderthal is a lateral dead-end branch of evolution.
The last stage of anthropogenesis - neoanthropes(new people) - Homo sapiens sapiens. The earliest dates for the appearance of neoanthropes are 100 thousand years. Appeared in Africa. Probably this line comes from Homo ergaster . The most famous neoanthrope - Cro-Magnon, found in the Cro-Magnon grotto in France. The time of appearance is 35 thousand years. Brain - 1400 cu. see From a biological point of view, the Cro-Magnon is the same type as modern man. In the course of further evolution up to the 10th millennium, the main races were formed, but the races are geographical populations of the same neoanthrope biological species.
To date, there are various versions of the origin of man on Earth. These are scientific theories, and alternative, and apocalyptic. Many people consider themselves descendants of angels or divine forces, contrary to the convincing evidence of scientists and archaeologists. Authoritative historians deny this theory as mythology, preferring other versions.
General concepts
Since ancient times, man has been the subject of study of the sciences of the spirit and nature. There is still a dialogue between sociology and natural sciences about the problem of being and the exchange of information. At the moment, scientists have given a person a specific definition. This is a biosocial creature that combines intellect and instincts. It should be noted that not one person in the world is such a creature. A similar definition can be hardly attributed to some representatives of the fauna on Earth. Modern science clearly divides biology and leading research institutes around the world are searching for the boundary between these components. This area of science is called sociobiology. She looks deep into the essence of a person, revealing his natural and humanitarian features and preferences.
A holistic view of society is impossible without drawing on the data of its social philosophy. Today, man is a being that has an interdisciplinary character. However, many people around the world are concerned about another issue - its origin. Scientists and religious scholars of the planet have been trying to answer it for thousands of years.
The origin of man: an introduction
The question of the appearance of intelligent life beyond the Earth attracts the attention of leading scientists of various specialties. Some people agree that the origins of man and society are not worthy of study. Basically, those who sincerely believe in supernatural powers think so. Based on this opinion about the origin of man, the individual was created by God. This version has been refuted by scientists for decades. Regardless of which category of citizens each person refers to, in any case, this issue will always excite and intrigue. Recently, modern philosophers have begun to ask themselves and those around them: "Why were people created, and what is their purpose of being on Earth?" The answer to the second question will never be found. As for the appearance of an intelligent creature on the planet, it is quite possible to study this process. Today, the main theories of the origin of man are trying to answer this question, but none of them can provide a 100% guarantee of the correctness of their judgments. Currently, archaeologists and astrologers around the world are exploring all sorts of sources for the origin of life on the planet, be they chemical, biological or morphological. Unfortunately, at the moment, mankind has not even been able to determine in which century BC the first people appeared.
Darwin's theory
Currently, there are various versions of the origin of man. However, the theory of a British scientist named Charles Darwin is considered the most likely and closest to the truth. It was he who made an invaluable contribution to his theory based on the definition of natural selection, which plays the role of the driving force of evolution. This is a natural-scientific version of the origin of man and all life on the planet.
The foundation of Darwin's theory was formed by his observations of nature while traveling around the world. The development of the project began in 1837 and lasted more than 20 years. At the end of the 19th century, another natural scientist, Alfred Wallace, supported the Englishman. Soon after his report in London, he admitted that it was Charles who inspired him. So there was a whole direction - Darwinism. The followers of this movement agree that all types of representatives of fauna and flora on Earth are variable and come from other pre-existing species. Thus, the theory is based on the impermanence of all living things in nature. The reason for this is natural selection. Only the strongest forms survive on the planet, which are able to adapt to the current environmental conditions. Man is just such a being. Thanks to evolution and the desire to survive, people began to develop their skills and knowledge.
Intervention theory
At the heart of this version of the origin of man is the activity of extraneous civilizations. It is believed that humans are the descendants of alien creatures that landed on Earth millions of years ago. Such a history of the origin of man has several outcomes at once. According to some, people appeared as a result of crossing aliens with progenitors. Others believe that genetic engineering of higher forms of mind, which brought Homo sapiens out of the flask and their own DNA, is to blame. Someone is sure that people originated as a result of an error in experiments on animals.
On the other hand, the version of alien interference in the evolutionary development of Homo sapiens is very interesting and probable. It is no secret that archaeologists still find numerous drawings, records and other evidence in various parts of the world that some supernatural forces helped ancient people. This also applies to the Maya Indians, who were allegedly enlightened by extraterrestrial creatures with wings on strange celestial chariots. There is also a theory that the entire life of mankind from origin to the peak of evolution proceeds according to a long-written program laid down by an alien mind. There are also alternative versions about the resettlement of earthlings from the planets of such systems and constellations as Sirius, Scorpio, Libra, etc.
evolutionary theory
The followers of this version believe that the appearance of man on Earth is associated with the modification of primates. This theory is by far the most widespread and discussed. Based on it, people are descended from certain types of monkeys. Evolution began in ancient times under the influence of natural selection and other external factors. The theory of evolution does have a number of interesting pieces of evidence and evidence, both archaeological, paleontological, genetic, and psychological. On the other hand, each of these statements can be interpreted in different ways. The ambiguity of the facts is what does not make this version 100% correct.
Theory of creation
This branch is called "creationism". His followers deny all major theories of the origin of man. It is believed that people were created by God, who is the highest link in the world. Man was created in his likeness from non-biological material.
The biblical version of the theory says that the first people were Adam and Eve. God created them from clay. In Egypt and many other countries, religion goes far into ancient myths. The vast majority of skeptics consider this theory impossible, estimating its probability in billionths of a percent. The version of the creation of all living things by God does not require proof, it simply exists and has the right to do so. It can be supported by similar examples from the legends and myths of the peoples of different parts of the Earth. These parallels cannot be ignored.
Theory of space anomalies
This is one of the most controversial and fantastic versions of anthropogenesis. Followers of the theory consider the appearance of man on Earth an accident. In their opinion, people have become the fruit of an anomaly of parallel spaces. The forefathers of earthlings were representatives of the civilization of humanoids, which are a mixture of Matter, Aura and Energy. The theory of anomalies assumes that in the Universe there are millions of planets with similar biospheres, which were created by a single informational substance. Under favorable conditions, this leads to the emergence of life, that is, the humanoid mind. Otherwise, this theory is in many ways similar to the evolutionary one, with the exception of the statement about a certain program for the development of mankind.
Aquatic theory
This version of the origin of man on Earth is almost 100 years old. In the 1920s, the aquatic theory was first proposed by a famous marine biologist named Alistair Hardy, who was later supported by another authoritative scientist, the German Max Westenhoffer.
The version is based on the dominant factor that forced the anthropoid primates to reach a new stage of development. This is what forced the monkeys to exchange the aquatic lifestyle for land. So the hypothesis explains the absence of thick hair on the body. Thus, at the first stage of evolution, man moved from the stage of hydropithecus, which appeared more than 12 million years ago, to homo erectus, and then sapiens. Today, this version is practically not considered in science.
Alternative theories
One of the most fabulous versions of the origin of man on the planet is that the descendants of people were some bats. In some religions they are called angels. It is these creatures from time immemorial inhabited the entire Earth. Their appearance was similar to a harpy (a mixture of a bird and a person). The existence of such creatures is supported by numerous rock paintings. There is another theory according to which people in the early stages of development were real giants. According to some legends, such a giant was a half-man-half-god, since one of their parents was an angel. Over time, higher powers stopped descending to Earth, and the giants disappeared.
ancient myths
There are a huge number of legends and tales about the origin of man. In ancient Greece, they believed that the progenitors of people were Deucalion and Pyrrha, who, by the will of the gods, survived the flood and created a new race from stone statues. The ancient Chinese believed that the first man was formless and came out of a clay clod.
The creator of people is the goddess Nuwa. She was human and dragon rolled into one. According to Turkish legend, people came out of the Black Mountain. In her cave was a hole that resembled the shape of a human body. Jets of rain washed the clay into it. When the form was filled and warmed by the sun, the first man emerged from it. His name is Ai-Atam. Myths about the origin of man of the Sioux Indians say that people were created by the Rabbit universe. The divine creature found a blood clot and began to play with it. Soon he began to roll on the ground and turned into intestines. Then a heart and other organs appeared on a blood clot. As a result, the rabbit dashed off a full-fledged boy - the ancestor of the Sioux. According to the ancient Mexicans, God created the human form from potter's clay. But due to the fact that he overexposed the workpiece in the oven, the man turned out to be burnt, that is, black. Subsequent attempts over and over again became better, and people came out whiter. Mongolian tradition is one to one similar to Turkish. Man emerged from a clay mold. The only difference is that the god himself dug the hole.
Stages of evolution
Despite the versions of the origin of man, all scientists agree that the stages of his development were identical. The first upright prototypes of people were Australopithecus, which communicated with each other with the help of hands and were no higher than 130 cm. The next stage of evolution produced Pithecanthropus. These creatures already knew how to use fire and adjust nature to their own needs (stones, skin, bones). Further, human evolution reached the paleoanthrope. At this time, the prototypes of people could already communicate with sounds, think collectively. Neoanthropes became the last stage of evolution before the appearance. Outwardly, they practically did not differ from modern people. They made tools, united in tribes, elected leaders, arranged voting, ceremonies.
Ancestral home of mankind
Despite the fact that scientists and historians around the world are still arguing about theories of the origin of people, the exact place where the mind originated was still able to be established. This is the African continent. Many archaeologists believe that it is possible to narrow down the location to the northeastern part of the mainland, although there is an opinion that the southern half dominates this issue. On the other hand, there are people who are sure that humanity appeared in Asia (on the territory of India and adjacent countries). Conclusions that the first people settled Africa were made after numerous finds as a result of large-scale excavations. It is noted that at that time there were several types of prototypes of man (races).
The strangest archaeological finds
Among the most interesting artifacts that can affect the idea of what the origin and development of man actually was, were the skulls of ancient people with horns. Archaeological research was carried out in the Gobi Desert by a Belgian expedition in the middle of the 20th century.
On the territory of the former, images of flying people and objects heading to Earth from outside the solar system were repeatedly found. Several ancient tribes have similar drawings. In 1927, as a result of excavations in the Caribbean Sea, a strange transparent skull, similar to a crystal, was found. Numerous studies have not revealed the technology and material of manufacture. Descendants claim that their ancestors worshiped this skull as if it were a supreme deity.
Before Homo sapiens, i.e. to the modern human stage, is just as difficult to satisfactorily document as the initial branching off of the hominid lineage. However, in this case, the matter is complicated by the presence of several applicants for such an intermediate position.
According to a number of anthropologists, the step that led directly to Homo sapiens was the Neanderthal (Homo neanderthalensis or Homo sapiens neanderthalensis). Neanderthals appeared no later than 150 thousand years ago, and their various types flourished until a period of approx. 40-35 thousand years ago, marked by the undoubted presence of well-formed H. sapiens (Homo sapiens sapiens). This epoch corresponded to the onset of the Wurm glaciation in Europe, i.e. ice age closest to modern times. Other scientists do not connect the origin of modern humans with Neanderthals, pointing out, in particular, that the morphological structure of the face and skull of the latter was too primitive to have time to evolve to the forms of Homo sapiens.
Neanderthaloids are usually conceived as stocky, hairy, animal-like humans with bent legs, a protruding head on a short neck, giving the impression that they have not yet fully achieved upright posture. Paintings and reconstructions in clay usually emphasize their hairiness and unjustified primitiveness. This image of a Neanderthal is a big distortion. First, we don't know if Neanderthals were hairy or not. Secondly, they were all completely upright. As for the evidence of the inclined position of the body, it is likely that they were obtained from the study of individuals suffering from arthritis.
One of the most surprising features of the entire Neanderthal series of finds is that the least recent of them were the most recent in appearance. This is the so-called. the classic Neanderthal type, whose skull is characterized by a low forehead, a heavy brow, a sloping chin, a protruding mouth area, and a long, low skullcap. However, their brain volume was larger than that of modern humans. They certainly had a culture: there is evidence of funerary cults and possibly animal cults, since animal bones are found along with the fossils of classical Neanderthals.
At one time, it was believed that the classical type of Neanderthals lived only in southern and western Europe, and their origin is associated with the onset of the glacier, which placed them in conditions of genetic isolation and climatic selection. However, apparently similar forms are later found in some regions of Africa and the Middle East, and possibly in Indonesia. Such a wide distribution of the classical Neanderthal forces us to abandon this theory.
At the moment, there is no material evidence of any gradual morphological transformation of the classical type of Neanderthal into the modern type of man, with the exception of finds made in the Skhul cave in Israel. The skulls found in this cave are very different from each other, some of them have features that put them in an intermediate position between the two human types. According to some experts, this is evidence of the evolutionary change of the Neanderthal to modern humans, while others believe that this phenomenon is the result of intermarriage between representatives of two types of people, thus believing that Homo sapiens evolved independently. This explanation is supported by evidence that as early as 200–300 thousand years ago, i.e. before the advent of the classical Neanderthal, there was a type of human that most likely refers to the early Homo sapiens, and not to the "progressive" Neanderthal. We are talking about well-known finds - skull fragments found in Swanscom (England), and a more complete skull from Steinheim (Germany).
Differences in the question of the "Neanderthal stage" in human evolution are partly due to the fact that two circumstances are not always taken into account. First, it is possible for the more primitive types of any evolving organism to exist relatively unchanged at the same time that other branches of the same species are undergoing various evolutionary modifications. Secondly, migrations associated with a shift in climatic zones are possible. Such shifts were repeated in the Pleistocene as glaciers advanced and retreated, and man could follow shifts in the climatic zone. Thus, when considering long periods of time, it must be taken into account that the populations occupying a given area at a certain moment are not necessarily descendants of populations that lived there at an earlier period. It is possible that early Homo sapiens could migrate from the regions where they appeared, and then return to their former places after many thousands of years, having managed to undergo evolutionary changes. When the fully developed Homo sapiens appeared in Europe 35,000 to 40,000 years ago, during the warmer period of the last glaciation, it undoubtedly supplanted the classical Neanderthal that had occupied the same region for 100,000 years. Now it is impossible to determine for sure whether the Neanderthal population moved north, following the retreat of its usual climatic zone, or whether it mixed with Homo sapiens invading its territory.
